The Sacred and the Profane
by Star-of-Chaos
Summary: No matter who he made his Queen, he would only have one true wife.
1. Chapter 1

" _Now…I am yours"_

On a day that felt a lifetime ago, Wang So remembered speaking those words to the only woman who had ever captured him heart and soul. And he'd meant them. Despite the distances that had tried to separate them and the horrors that were part of life in the palace, he still remembered and kept those words inside. Once upon a time, when he'd discovered a world made open to him by that simple little thing Hae Soo did for him, removing the mask that seemed to doom him, he was determined make her his. When he took the throne for himself, he would lay that world at her feet and make her his queen. All would see her worth and what she meant to him.

But nothing in this life was easy, and So found out that in order to keep his throne he would be expected to make sacrifices. Power only existed as long as those around you agreed that it existed, and the officials around him would only play that game as long as he played theirs. And this is how he found himself agreeing to marry a woman he'd rather spit at than make his queen, and the woman to whom he wanted to give the world had to sit in the shadows.

They couldn't have everything their way though…

The night before the travesty that people were celebrating as a wedding, So met Hae Soo in her room for dinner. He'd asked her to wear the blue and red gown he'd given her, the dress that he'd intended to show her off to the world in as he crowned her queen. She looked radiant as she sat across the table from him, the picture of a perfect royal bride if it weren't for the sorrow in her eyes. He knew her sorrow intimately, for he felt it himself, but determined not to have everything taken away from him, So took his glass of wine and stood.

"Come with me." He said.

Not bothering to see if she followed him, he made his way over to Soo's bed and knelt down in front of it. A few seconds later she knelt beside him, and he looked over at her to see that she looked a little confused, and he gave her a little smile, glad that she was willing to follow along with him.

So took her hand and placed it on the wine glass along with his, and looked up.

"Whatever gods are out there, look down and hear me." Then he looked at Soo. "No matter what happens tomorrow, no matter what head the crown is placed on, this is my wedding. I will only have one true wife in my life; I am hers as she is mine, and no one can take that from us."

The words weren't traditional, but So couldn't care less about tradition. Tradition was keeping him from what he wanted most, so the hell with it. He lifted the cup and sipped at the wine. "I am yours, both in this life and the next." He whispered, then moved the cup towards Soo.

Her eyes shone as she gazed back at him, before sipping from the cup as well. "I am yours, both in this life and the next." She whispered.

Still kneeling, they bowed to each other over the cup. He didn't want her to stay on her knees for too long though and so he set the cup down then stood and taking Soo's hand, lifted her to her feet. So raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, almost reverently.

"Remember." He whispered. "When I leave this room and do the things I have to, to keep this world safe for you and our children, remember I am still yours."

Drawing her close, So kissed her. Soo's arms slid around his neck and she kissed him back, pressing her slender little body to his.

"I'll remember." She said softly when they finally came up for air. "And don't you forget."

His eyes never left hers as he lowered her to the bed. "If I remember nothing else in this life, it will be that."

Carefully, he removed the royal wedding robe from her body, kissing over each inch of skin as it was revealed to him. They'd given themselves to each other before, but this was new. This was their wedding night; Soo was now his wife. Every kiss they gave was a promise, and when he finally slid deep inside of her body, he felt like their joining was finishing the binding that their whispered vows had started.

That night they loved longer and harder than they ever had, with an intensity that was almost scary. Just before dawn they fell asleep, curled around each other. So lay with his head pillowed against his wife, listening to her precious heartbeat, and as he drifted off he swore that nothing would destroy this one true union.


	2. Chapter 2

The official royal wedding was the next day, and Wang So got through it by looking at it as if it were a play he was helping to put on. Because that is really all it was. The officials, the powerful families, they wanted this performance as an act of submission from him to show them that they still had control, and he gave them what they wanted. It galled him to have to show respect to Yeon Hwa and name her his queen, but when the urge came to turn away from this farce and leave, all he had to do was remember that he was already married, that his true wife awaited him safely away from these parasites and that allowed him to keep on performing. Nothing he did today could take away the vows they'd spoken the night before.

When the ceremonies were finished, So was ready to abandon the new Queen and go back to the only woman in his life who really mattered. This spiteful harpy had wanted a crown and a title; now she had it, but he was determined that she would get little else from him.

Escape wasn't as easy as he thought it would be though, and he found himself being maneuvered into his chambers by the crowd around them. Some of the older officials, who'd obviously been hitting the celebratory wine a little too hard, were actually daring to make jokes about the royal wedding night. With disgust So realized that he was actually expected to consummate this marriage, and as the doors closed behind him and he found himself alone with the Queen (he refused to use the word 'wife' for this woman, not even in the privacy of his thoughts. He only had one wife and it was not Yeon Hwa), he wasn't sure how to get out of this situation without losing face with the men outside whose support he needed.

"Pyeha." Spoke a voice behind him, and while her tone was sweet and submissive, So knew that the mouth it came out of was that of a viper. Stifling a sigh, he turned. Sitting on his bed, veiled and gowned as a royal bride, Yeon Hwa awaited him. Aesthetically speaking, he could admit that she was a beautiful woman. But it was a cold sort of beauty, with no warmth or love to give it life. She might as well be a pretty puppet to him. And that is all that she would be; a puppet to wear the crown and play the games the officials wanted played.

His distaste must have been clear on his face, because Yeon Hwa started to lift her veil.

"Leave it. That is for me to remove." So commanded.

"Don't you want to unveil and see your wife?"

Wang So chuckled, but there was no warmth to it. "They may have forced me to make you my queen, but you will never be my wife." Deciding he didn't care what the drunken men outside his door thought, he turned to leave the new Queen to her cold marriage bed.

"You have a duty, Pyeha! The marriage is supposed to be consummated. And I am expected to give you an heir. That little girl is so weak, do you really think she can give you the strong sons you will need to carry on your legacy? I can."

As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. The support he'd gained by marrying Yeon Hwa would not last for long if he was seen to be disrespecting her. So turned back to face his Queen. Fine. If she wanted this marriage consummated so badly, he'd do it. But on his terms.

"On your knees, facing away from me." So's voice was cold as he strode toward the bed. "And leave the veil on."

"But.."

"If I have to see your face I may not be able to stop myself from killing you."

So was glad to see that she obeyed without another word. Whether it was from fear, he couldn't tell and didn't care. Joining her on the bed, he knelt behind her and with one hand pushed her shoulder until she was face down against the blanket. They'd wanted a dog on a leash, a leash formed by the crown, so he would take her like the bitch she'd plotted to become.

Removing enough of both his robes and hers for him to do his duty, he saw that she was a well-formed woman beneath her clothes but she did nothing for him. All he could see was the person who'd kept him from marrying the woman he really wanted. So felt rage that he had to reward her for her crimes by giving her what she wanted, by entering her body and giving her his seed. It felt like a perversion of the love he shared with Hae Soo, and for a moment he wasn't sure if he could do it. But thinking of Soo brought back memories of last night, and using those thoughts of his wife's sweet body allowed him to bring himself into the right frame of mind.

There was no preparation involved, no care taken to make sure that Yeon Hwa was ready; he just entered her with one single thrust. She cried out in pain but So ignored her. She'd wanted him so badly, now she would have to accept him in the only way he'd allow her to have him. Hands gripping her hips, he pounded her deep and hard, but behind his closed eyes it was not Yeon Hwa that he thrust into, but Hae Soo. He remembered her kisses as she welcomed him inside of her, the sweet taste of her skin, and the sound of her cries as he brought her to pleasure over and over.

"Soo-ya" he moaned as one final thrust took him over the edge, and he emptied himself in Yeon Hwa's body. So gripped her hips hard to keep himself from collapsing against her; he wanted as little physical contact with her as possible. Withdrawing from her, he saw the Queen's virginal blood on his softening manhood, and he felt disgust at having this much of her still with him.

Yeon Hwa, fell on to her side, the veil still covering her face. There was a soft sound that might have been her crying, but So paid little attention as he rearranged his clothes and left the bed. She might as well have been a gisaeng for all the thought he spared her as he walked out of the room. Or maybe he was the one who was bought and paid for. Either way, they were using each other, and if she did not like what she'd ended up with she should have thought about that before playing this game.

As for So, he left his chambers and headed for the baths, ignoring the celebrating still going on in the halls. He needed to clean himself thoroughly before returning to his wife.


End file.
